Little Kitty, Big City
Little Kitty, Big City
Game
Game2023
Stronghold: Definitive Edition
Developer Firefly Studios
Greetings sire! Your stronghold awaits you. Build a castle economy, besiege unforgettable villains and return to the 'castle sim' that started it all. Experience this classic RTS with upgraded visuals, modernised gameplay, Steam multiplayer and a new campaign. From the Steam store page
271 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 7, 2026 · last updated Oct 7, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
85
LovedLoved
173 positive · 31 negative
95% range 79–89%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 173 | 31 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
67 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
9,009 of 10,413 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 271 · most liked first"RALLY IN TRUMP STRONGHOLD FAILS TO FILL SEATS” Mobile 2015 30K fools came to see a game show host owned by Putin spew hate & lies Last night a 10,000 seat hall was 1/2 EMPTY Have MAGA/GOP finally learned? Will they reject Trump but still vote for Tommy Tuberville? VOTE BLUE FOR DOUG JONES
unlabelledView post →One of UESP's own got into the game. Character creation now has origins. These include: Orc: Stronghold, Orsinium Dark Elf: Vvardenfell, Mainland Breton: Systres, High Rock Nord: Eastern, Western Khajiit: Anequina, Pellitine Argonian: Arnesia, Thornmarsh
unlabelledView post →I’ve loved Stronghold since the original. The campaign, the atmosphere, the whole vibe of the classic game is still here and genuinely solid. This was an easy recommend… until they pulled one of the dumbest moves I’ve seen in a paid title. They’re now forcing ads for their other games before you even reach the title screen. In a game I already paid for. Completely kills the nostalgia and honestly just comes off as unreal levels of stupidity. I shouldn’t have to sit through ads to play…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There are numerous bugs here that are not in the original game, which the devs are aware of, and cannot address on the new engine for various reasons. All of them stem from AI bugs and pathfinding, especially noticeable to units under the player's control. Unless you want DE for the new campaign DLCs, get the HD edition instead: https://store.steampowered.com/app/40950/Stronghold_HD_2012/ If you decide to stick with DE, a couple workarounds include treating Stand Ground stance as the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Should be written in CAPS LOCK - no AI bots to play against like in the old games.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really love this version much more than Crusader DE, feels simpler, slower, more beautiful the nature. But I feel this classic deserves as well to have skirmish, larger 800x800 maps, custom campaigns and extra custom content like Crusader DE does. Release notes and Q&A on how this version couldn't get skirmish because it's hard to code it, but then Crusader DE can get new animals, custom lords, co-op and custom campaigns does not make sense at all. I hope it comes as update one day.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Satan's Stronghold is a good name for a lesbian bar that hosts board game nights
unlabelledView post →Z-Man, Stronghold Games founders lead star-studded launch of new board game publisher Play to Z: boardgamewire.com/index.php/20... @ruelgaviola.bsky.social @gengelstein.bsky.social @nicolebrady.bsky.social @isaacshalev.bsky.social
unlabelledView post →A follow up on Game Update 7.6a regarding the Stronghold Conquest Bonus issue. forums.swtor.com/topic/937886...
unlabelledView post →Many people argue whether Heat or Flame Rouge is the superior design. I frankly don't understand why it matters. Clearly you get the game not published by Stronghold.
unlabelledView post →What if Minecraft Stronghold was an isometric pixel art game? I used this project to learn more about VFX and effects. I feel like the eye effects turned out really well, I'm very happy with the result. #pixelart #minecraftfanart #minecraft #fanart #ドット絵
unlabelledView post →Tune in on June 7th to the PC Gaming Show (@pcgamer.com) for an exclusive reveal of a brand new Stronghold game. Start Times by Time Zone: PT (Los Angeles): 12:00 PM ET (New York): 3:00 PM BST (London): 8:00 PM CEST (Berlin): 9:00 PM CST (Beijing): 3:00 AM (Mon, June 9)
unlabelledView post →🎬 NEW VIDEO 🎬 Join us for a brand new gameplay video about the 8 new Bedouin units who’ll be ready for battle in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition when the game releases on July 15th. The demo is also available to play on Steam now! bit.ly/3GphHXz
unlabelledView post →Firefly will announce a brand new 'Stronghold' game at this week PC Gaming Showcase. youtu.be/qLFpwlnLDF0
unlabelledView post →Wario Land 1 is the best Wario Land better than 3 and 4. Stronghold better than Age just because I use it as a City builder instead of strategy game. Deedlit in wonder Labyrinth straight up Team Ladybugs best game. As Dusk Falls aka what if Quantic Dream would make a good game (without Cage).
unlabelledView post →This is a great game however this release is very buggy. It has audio glitches, missing information panels, bad AI and Pathfinding. Some of the cinematic features don't play / work fully. Just hopped off to write this review as I was mid-mission and my castle became bugged to where I couldn't close the wall off ("Too close to enemy" which is non-existent). The game is literally called Stronghold and I was unable to finish my Stronghold.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do you folks play silly mindless time wasting games on your phone, and if so, which one is your favourite? I’m currently digging a zombie survival game called “Last Stronghold.”
unlabelledView post →What if Minecraft Stronghold was a top-down pixel art game? I really like how the portal itself looks, the movement effect was difficult to create, but it looks great to me. #pixelart #minecraftfanart #minecraft #fanart #ゆめにっき
unlabelledView post →I really love the old-school Stronghold games, and I think these recent remasters are great. There's just something about 2D sprite-based games with upscaled resolutions that looks amazing. The Command & Conquer Remastered Collection did something similar, and I think this style works really well for classic games. That said, there's one thing that annoys me so much about this game that it almost ruins the experience for me. It's something that was already an issue in the original, and I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →2026 and still not able to play with friends and bots cpu lords.... not recommend
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not recommended. Great game and great style/visuals. But the fact there is not a skirmish against AI is kind of stupid. Forget buying this game if you want to play a medieval city builder where you can forge alliances with other lords cities ... You can't do that in this game. No skirmish. No freedom and nothing more to do other than the linear campaign. If i COULD i would refund this and get the stronghold games where you can have a skirmish against AI's I am new to this franchise and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →#SongBuilding 8️⃣ Castle Halsey | Castle | Badlands | 2015 You gotta admire the deft use of the Agnus Dei to signal "Medieval". And that it's a sample taken from the video game Stronghold is 👨🍳💋 youtu.be/Vk0xkd8qs9I?...
unlabelledView post →A great nostalgic return. I always found the original Stronghold harder than Crusader because of its siege-heavy scenarios, but this time I went all in and completed everything, including both DLCs. To achieve 100% I had to really learn the game, check guides, understand the meta and use various tricks to outplay the bots. Very satisfying experience. The remaster itself is excellent — pre-rendered graphics still look fantastic. The only real downside are economic missions where RNG events…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First Game: Stronghold Last Game Played: Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines Favorite Game: Neverwinter Nights 2 or Pillars of Eternity (I can’t decide😱) Worst Game: Cyberpunk 2077 Game I've Played the Most: Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous or The Sims 🤭 Most Surprising: Pentiment
unlabelledView post →I started adding some mutually exclusive "tough choices" about secondary NPCs which will tweak relationships with your party members. I did that extensively in my game Planet Stronghold 2 and decided to redo it again here #visualnovel #indiedev #gamedev
unlabelledView post →I lost hours of my childhood to Stronghold. Anytime I see the word "saving" in a game I can hear the announcers voice shouting "SAVING"
unlabelledView post →Need a place to relax and get away for a little bit? Galactic Seasons 6 "Building a Foundation" will be coming with Game Update 7.4.1 and features a beautiful Copero Stronghold that can be unlocked from the reward track. youtu.be/hBTlJt387rc?...
unlabelledView post →Your tower defense game needs music that fights back. Stronghold is an adaptive music kit — 3 sets of 3 escalating waves, a victory stinger, defeat stinger and 5 menu track options, all ready to drop into your project. Grab it on itch.io. 🏰⚔️ #gamedev #indiedev #towerdefense #gameaudio #itchio
unlabelledView post →Hopefully the twin thrusts of the video game industry and the RPG industry coming down hard on AI-supported theft will make the board game industry think more about it. Stronghold Games is unfortunately the one normalizing it there: they think they're too big to fail or something.
unlabelledView post →One of the finest games ever made. Masterful game design. If you are mostly a solo player I really would not worry about no skirmish, There is just so much solo content. They added raids to free build that is such a HUGE feature along with so many other options to customize and spice up free build, for those of us that enjoy building and decorating the perfect castle. Also because its so much solo content it is the perfect game for and starter point for the series and learning the mechanics and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Me: "what was that speed game with the Italian pizza chef called again? I know it was Pizza something. Castle? Stronghold?" My ever helpful oceanic companion:
unlabelledView post →"It's not sexy, but it's one of the most successful genres on Steam" – Stronghold Developer Firefly Launches Publishing Label to Serve the Vast Strategy Market www.gamesindustry.biz/its-not-sexy... #gamedev #indiedev #videogames #gaming #gamingnews
unlabelledView post →It has been how many iterations and these "developers" STILL havent fixed the core flaws with their game. Sure defending sieges are fine and dandy and display the strengths of the game. But when you are the one attacking, especially in the campaign vs the pig or the wolf (mission 18 is just terrible), the whole system falls apart like a house of cards. You get no choice , no strategy, no tools. Playing these disasters they call "missions" is basically an hour long slog as you SLOWLY pick off…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stronghold is a classic RTS of yesteryear. Unlike a lot of its contemporaries like Age of Empires or Starcraft it's based more on building a balanced economy alongside a military force. The focus of the game is around developing what your citizenry needs (food, shelter, religion etc) and then after doing that being able to then create your military and conquer the enemy. This balance of economics and military strategy is really fun and engaging and creates this core game loop that on paper…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →(Best Stronghold game and better than AoE 2. Yes, I said it.)
unlabelledView post →It took me 20 years to find this game again. I played it when I was 7 or 8 years old on my Uncles computer. I just recently, in my late 20s, found it. GREAT game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Qtp with a video game that transports you back to your childhood Stronghold Crusader. Watching my dad play this or his other strategy war games (but this one was my fave) while he gave me fun facts about history and then begging him to let me play too Or begging him to go play so I could watch
unlabelledView post →I didn't play Stronghold back in the day, so this is a fresh view from an RTS veteran from the 90s. I completely understand the original devs intension with this game - attempting to bridge the gap between RTS and city builder. The problem is that it is the jack of all trades and master of none. Once you beat the campaign and run a couple of skirmishes, you've seen all there is to see. I was left feeling like I wanted to either go play a dedicated medieval city builder - something like…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New BASIC game, Stronghold of the Dwarven Lords, converted to BASICAnywhere and refactored. Code list provided along with browser-playable version. Originally listed in 1983's Tim Hartnel's "Giant Book of Computer Games" #gameDev #devLog #retroComputing #retroGaming
unlabelledView post →QTP with your most anticipated game. Knowing there are upcoming games for both the Stronghold and Thief (well ok a remastered Thief: The Dark Project) series makes me very happy and excited.
unlabelledView post →SIGINT #269 from KH-11 KENNEN (COSMIC TOP SECRET) 1. Mithril Stronghold of Sewage 2. Game Hyperloop
unlabelledView post →so does anyone remember playing Stronghold 2 or am I still the only person I've ever met who's played that game
unlabelledView post →A new Stronghold game- yes please! #Blutoid www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5iF...
unlabelledView post →Fortnite: "We see you Marathon and we're taking notes." (Images are in-game and concept art from the new Reload mode map, Elite Stronghold.) www.fortnite.com/news/join-th...
unlabelledView post →Stronghold: Definitive Edition is a lovely crafted campaign experience that’s just as fun now as it was years ago. The gameplay is straightforward and much easier to learn than most RTS titles. It’s essentially a cozy mix of tower defense and light economy management and it works beautifully. There are one or two difficulty spikes in the campaign that can be a bit annoying, but overall it’s highly entertaining from start to finish. And even after the main campaign there are plenty of extra…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →They left out the classic skirmish mode. So no playing on a map where you and the AI have a castle. Sadly that was the only reason for me to buy this.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New game mode, Stronghold Protocol Auto-chess/TFT-esque mode, similar mechanics like combining 3 of the same Operator, and equipping gear #Arknights
unlabelledView post →"RALLY IN TRUMP STRONGHOLD FAILS TO FILL SEATS” Mobile 2015 30K fools came to see a game show host owned by Putin spew hate & lies Last night a 10,000 seat hall was 1/2 EMPTY Have MAGA/GOP finally learned? Will they reject Trump but still vote for Tommy Tuberville? VOTE BLUE FOR DOUG JONES
unlabelledView post →Every siege needs a soundtrack. Stronghold is an adaptive medieval music kit built to respond to your game with menus, combat waves, and stingers, all ready to drop in. Available now on itch.io. 🏰⚔️ #gamemusic #medievalgame #fantasygamedev #indiedev #gameassets
unlabelledView post →The game is Dope, Sire! For real, Stronghold 4 could become great! www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQB6...
unlabelledView post →As someone who loves castles and Tower Defense, the freeform castle building and sieging is all I could want in a game. The main story line campaign missions were fun and (mostly) not too difficult on Normal mode, and easily 40+ hours of gameplay with other campaigns available. Graphics look decent, and the variety of defensive structures and tools are really amazing. You can dig or fill in moats, create wooden and fire traps, place small to large towers, build thick walls of stone or…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →a true classic. was amazing after school many years ago, is amazing now late at night when I want to pass some time. they did so good with this series, but this game specifically, tops.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →that and the strange matt reflective quality of the armour just kind of looking like a Stronghold game cover
unlabelledView post →play for 2 hours start campain lose to the 11 mission rage quit broke setup clean game 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stronghold Definitive Edition is afflicted with a fairly strong case of "remake justificationitis". The original Stronghold not only ran perfectly fine, its art is so good that it practially hasn't aged (though frankly if something being aged deters you from playing it, please obtain a lobotomy). Overall though, if you can get it on sale, I'd say this is worthwhile. The Good: It's Stronghold- they haven't messed with it. I think some of the minor graphical changes are a little bit out of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →#MSDOS game Stronghold engine rewrite project #retrogaming #retrocomputing #reverseengineering
unlabelledView post →cant play vs AI
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Back in 2001, I used to boot up Stronghold and just play the Free Build mode for hours: the first-ever Castle Sim. I'd stare at the mills, the bakers, the fletchers and even the moat diggers, truly amazed at how in-depth and beautiful everything looked. Then 2023 rolled in, and the Definitive Edition brought it all back in splendour. It's a brilliant game, positively remastered to keep up with some of the other strategy games out there at the moment. It is a product of its time however, so…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stronghold: Definitive Edition reminded me why the original game was so easy to love in the first place. It has that rare ability to make castle building feel personal. You are not just placing walls and units on a map — you are creating a working medieval settlement, piece by piece, and watching it grow into something worth protecting. That feeling is still incredibly satisfying. What I enjoy most is how naturally the game mixes peaceful management with sudden pressure. One moment you are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Literally just the same game as Stronghold HD but with ai upscaled graphics. Workshop and 2 (halves) of new campaigns is nice. £12.99 + DLC is a bit much for a 20+ year old game. Worth a buy if you never played Stronghold. Don't bother if you've played unless its a big discount.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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